The ability to land on a surface other than a perfectly smooth, paved airstrip is a rare and valuable commodity in combat. Of course, specialty aircraft like the AV-8B Harrier II “Jump Jet” and Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II already exist, but the U.S. Air Force recently confirmed primitive landing capability in a much larger swath of aircraft. Advertisement
In a June 15 Air Force training exercise near Fort Stockton in Texas, an MQ-9 drone — better known by its nickname “Reaper” — successfully landed on a dirt strip….
Check out the original article: [Slashgear]How The MQ-9 Reaper Drone Is Changing How The Military Feels About Traditional Runways
